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Donna Summer Remembered By Her Former Publicist

Donna Summer’s family has confirmed the death of the disco great at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. In a statement, her family said, “Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.”

Much of her legacy is rooted in the sexy sound of her music, which first hit the airwaves more than 30 years ago. A publicist who worked with her more recently says she wanted to move away from that.

“I think she felt she had been a victim of her own success,” Michael Levine, founder of LCO, told us on the phone today from California. “She wanted to expand beyond that. When an artist has a great deal of success, they get branded with that persona.”

Levine worked with Summer for a year back in 2002. At the time, she wanted to rebrand and had some new music (a Christmas album came out that year).

According to Levine, Summer was full of energy, gracious, and always showed up at the LCO office with a gift. She was also “very passionate about God, spirituality, and religion,” hosting a weekly gathering at her house that Levine was always invited to.

While we totally understand that she wanted to be known for more than disco, her fantastic-ness is undeniable. Just watch the clip above. (Kind of NSFW. Sassy!) Has anyone ever looked so beautiful or glamorous doing the robot?